Hi, Achim – hope this works:
- Create a new FM4 slideshow
- Click on “Timeline View” and click on “Expand Visual Tracks” from the View Menu
- Drag an image to the timeline to create slide 1
- Drag a second image to the timeline to create slide 2
- Click on slide 1
- Click on “Add Title”
- Change the title text to “Title 1” and move it to the side somewhere
- Click on “Add Title”
- Change the title text to “Title 2” and move it somewhere
- Click on “Add Title”
- Change the title text to “Title 3” and move it somewhere
On slide 1 you should now have an image on the bottom layer and three titles placed on top of it. On slide 2 you should just have one image on the slide.
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On slide 1, while holding down the Command key, click on TWO layers – the “Title 1” layer and then the “Title 2” layer.
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From the Edit menu, click on “Copy”
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Now click on the bottom image of slide 2. The image on slide 2 should show it to be selected in the timeline.
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Click on the Edit menu to make it drop down.
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“Paste” and “Paste on Top” are both grayed out – you CANNOT paste the two title layers you just copied.
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Now go back to slide 1 and while holding down the Command key, click on any THREE layers, say “Title 1”, “Title 2”, and “Title 3”
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From the Edit menu, click on “Copy”
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Now click on the bottom image of slide 2. The image on slide 2 should show it to be selected in the timeline.
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Click on the Edit menu to make it drop down.
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Both “Paste” AND “Paste on Top” can NOW be selected.
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Choose “Paste on Top” to place the THREE layers selected and copied from slide 1 onto the top of slide 2.
No matter which TWO layers I try to copy from slide 1 at the same time, I cannot paste them both on top of slide 2.
No matter which THREE layers I try to copy from slide 1, I CAN paste all three of them on the top of slide 2 at the same time.
At step 15) (where TWO layers are selected) instead of going to the Edit menu, try doing a right-click on the mouse. If the Command key is still being held down, then BOTH layers are unselected. If the Command Key is NOT still being held down and the cursor is on “Title 1” then “Title 1” stays selected and “Title 2” becomes unselected. Or vice-versa if the cursor is on “Title 2”. At this point, if now ONE layer is still selected and there was a right-click, the option to “Copy” is now in the contextual drop-down menu. The layer CAN be copied. Go to select the image of slide 2, and you can “Paste” the layer (which moves it into slide 2’s position and moves slide 2 to slide 3) OR you can “Paste on Top” – but still only the one layer.
Now try with THREE layers. At step 18) (where THREE layers are selected), try doing a right-click. Regardless of whether the Command key is still being held down or not, all three layers stay selected and in the contextual menu choose “Copy”. Now go to slide 2 and select the image. A right-click shows “Paste” and “Paste on Top”. Paste will place all three layers at the slide 2 position and move the existing slide 2 to slide 3. Or, if “Paste on Top” is chosen, the three layers are all pasted on top of slide 2.
I just went to experiment with FOUR, FIVE, and SIX layers.
It appears that when an ODD number of layers are selected (1, 3, or 5), then everything works. When an EVEN number of layers are selected (2 or 4), then it doesn’t.
This is totally repeatable on my end – it happens every time.
BTW, on another observation, I discovered (some time ago), that MORE than 6 layers can be on a single slide, if they are comprised of “titles” – but it does tend to confuse the cutting and pasting ability. Still, only an ODD number of layers can be copied and “pasted on top” using the above procedure. An even number does not work.
